Effect of cell softness and polydispersity on the viscosity of non-confluent tissue

The collective motion of cells in a tissue depends on the mechanical properties of the individual

cells. The stiffness of the cells and the size dispersity are crucial to determining the fate of the

tissue dynamics as they are directly related to the motility of each cell. Using agent(particle)-

based simulations of three-dimensional tissue, we showed that depending on the cell elasticity and

the size dispersity, the tissue exhibits fluid-like, glass-like, and glass-like dynamics followed by a

viscosity saturation. Furthermore, for a low value of polydispersity, the tissue crystallizes. In order

to visualize this complex behavior, we draw a phase diagram in the polydispersity-cell elasticity

plane.